Real.Doc - Part 1 (English Version)

We need to talk about our dysfunctional marriage

The following night, he stood by the bed watching as I got ready to sleep.

"So I can't sleep here tonight, right?" he remarked.

"Correct. Find somewhere else," I replied, slightly annoyed as he left the room.

~

The next afternoon, we noticed a change in him as he passed by. Rony and I were impressed by the transformation in his facial expression.

Later, we had an event to attend, and despite my reluctance, I decided to go. Cesar's behavior was odd, so we decided to mingle separately at the party, allowing him to enjoy it on his own terms. To my surprise, the waiter from the previous "exclusive night" was there serving drinks.

"Champagne, miss?" he offered.

"Hello! What a surprise to see you here!" I exclaimed. He smiled and moved on. As my 'friends' approached me, I decided to get some clarification.

"Isn't that..."

"Yes, that's him," DeeDee interjected, having recommended his services to me. "Along with all of his friends."

"But..."

"They're exhibiting themselves. Only a few of us know about their true business," DeeDee explained.

At one point, I was near the bar when the waiter approached with a tray.

"So, that was bothering you?" he asked, referring to Cesar, who was conversating nearby.

"Yes, that's him," I confirmed.

"How old is he? About 40?" he said and walked away. I found it amusing how he stuck to appearances when it came to age. I looked to be around 25, and the waiter must have been around the same age (despite really being like 70 and 25).

Cesar seemed off, a fact noticed by Ron as well. When we returned home, I asked Cesar to go to his room.

~

The next morning, even before dawn, shouts echoed through the house. I hurried downstairs in my nightgown to witness Cesar and Rony arguing.

"Where is it?" Cesar demanded.

"Somewhere in the sewer system" Rony replied calmly.

"WHERE?!" Cesar's voice rose.

"It's gone. I threw it all away," Rony stated.

"What's gone?" I inquired.

"His hero," Ron explained.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Cesar snapped.

"Watch how you talk to her!" Ron retorted.

Cesar tried to stay composed. "Just tell me where it is, and let's get this over with."

"Let's go to your office," Ron suggested, motioning for me to stay. The two went behind closed doors to talk. While they conversed, I sat down at the table for breakfast. Soon, raised voices and a thud followed, prompting the assistant to enter the room, concerned. Ron emerged shortly after, leaving the room with a closed door behind him.

"Give him a moment," Ron advised.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"He'll be fine," Ron assured me.

The assistant left, and I asked, "Did you make him heal?"

"I did. Hopefully, that'll calm his anger a bit," Ron replied.

Not long after, Cesar emerged from the office, composed and wearing a mismatched outfit of a dress shirt and pajama shorts.

"Nice shirt," I remarked.

"It was all I had in the office," Cesar explained, sitting down for breakfast.

The assistant returned, surprised by Cesar's attire. "Cesar, do you need help with your clothes?"

"No, I'm good," Cesar replied.

"Let me get some clothes for you in your room," the assistant offered, leaving soon after.

I heard Ron stifling laughter, and I couldn't help but join in. When the assistant returned, she realized the reason for the laughter, caused by her previous actions, but we didn't elaborate. Instead, we all dispersed to do our own things.

Cesar stopped me in a corner of the room with a hug. "This is all part of an act, okay?"

"It's still confusing to me," I admitted.

He kissed me, trying to reassure me. "I can't stop thinking about the last time we were together."

We started kissing like two lovers, but before things escalated, the assistant interrupted.

"Cesar?" she called.

He stopped and turned to her. "Yes?"

"Shannon's on the phone. She said it's important," the assistant informed him.

Cesar took a deep breath. "I'll take it in the office." He then turned to me. "Wait for me in the bedroom. We need to talk."

Curious, I went to the bedroom and waited for him. When he arrived, he closed the door behind him.

"So?" I asked casually, sitting on the bed.

"Firstly," he began, kissing me before continuing, "I want you, now."

And then, we made love. The frequency of our lovemaking was slowly loosening Cesar up. This day, for instance, after making love, he lay on his side, propping his head with one hand while hugging me with the other. He still kissed me on the cheek from time to time, and in that atmosphere of intimacy, he began to talk.

"You know..." he said, kissing my cheek once again, "...we need to talk about our dysfunctional marriage."

"Okay," I commented, feeling odd about his statement since everything seemed fine at that exact moment. Assuming he was referring to the external image we were maintaining, I paid attention.

"I think..." He spoke as he pulled one of my hands towards him and kissed it. "...it's time we began to talk about divorce."

That's when I realized that Cesar's hurt was still there. He could claim it was all part of a plan to keep us there, in that community, but I could see in his eyes the intention to still hurt me. We were doing well, growing more in love every day, and in a moment of intimacy, he brought up separation. It felt like we were back in that same house in the desert. His hurt wasn't going away anytime soon.

Knowing this, I decided not to feed the separation anxiety monster and tried to stop the wound before it hurt us. Calm and impassive, I just repeated my previous response:

"Okay."

And I realized there that I saved us at least half an hour of his speeches. In fact, I might have skipped an entire conversation. To fill the void that had formed, I decided to end the day.

"I think I'm going to sleep for a little bit," I said. Then I touched his face and kissed him subtly.

I calmly adjusted my pillows and turned my back to him so I could sleep. He settled behind me, still hugging me. Seeming to still digest my reaction, he tightened his embrace a bit and kissed my neck a few times, making me feel a slight tingle from his stubble. Then he stopped his kisses but remained very close to me. His silence indicated he was about to say something, and then:

"I love you."

My heart warmed with happiness, and my arms got goosebumps. However, I didn't want to ruin that moment, so I intertwined my fingers with his and squeezed his hug. He hugged me back and then gently pulled away, settling down on the bed to sleep.